mega moment!
Bayern Munich celebrate on the pitch after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 6-0 to clinch their ninth league title in a row!
THIS WEEK!
ADIOS, AGUERO 8 Prem Highs & Lows................................. 4 Premier League Stat Attack................ 6 Man. City Champs .................................... 7 MATCHY Cartoon .................................. 10 Harry Kane Poster................................ 11 Mega Moves............................................ 12 Ben Johnson Interview ....................... 16 Win HyperX Gear................................... 18 Ruben Dias Poster................................ 19 All Stars v Rock Stars .......................... 20
JOAO FELIX Q&A 34 FIFA 21 Zone.......................................... 22 Mohamed Salah Poster ...................... 24 Final Day Prem Previews................... 26 Fantasy Footy........................................ 31 Euro Focus: Final Day ......................... 32 MATCH Gear ........................................... 36 Luke Shaw Poster ............................... 39 Big MATCH Quiz..................................... 40 Youri Tielemans Poster ...................... 45 Did You Know? ....................................... 46
MAKES YOU IN THE KNOW EVERY SINGLE WEEK IT’S HARRY’S YEAR!
GOLDEN BOOT BATTLE! In four of the past five Premier Lea gue seasons, either Harry Kane or Mo hamed Salah have won the Prem Golden Boot – and the two goal machines have been locked in a bat tle again this campaign! One of them is likely to get their hands on the trophy thi s year, but this weekend’s games could have a huge say!
EPIC ENTERTAINMENT! We’ve been treated to tons of twists and turns this season and some jaw-droppingly good games – Aston Villa’s 7-2 win over Liverpool, Tottenham’s 6-1 Old Trafford thrashing of Man. United, Burnley ending Liverpool’s 68-game Anfield unbeaten run, Southampton losing 9-0 AGAIN! We could go on...
4 MATCH!
CITY HAVE CRUISED IT, MATCH!
& HS
The PREMIER LEAGUE season ends this weekend, and it’s been one to remember! MATCH takes a closer look at the highs and lows of the 2020-21 campaign!
LOWS! BLADES BOTTLERS! Let’s spare a thought for poor Chris Wilder…After his side’s epic 2019-20, when they finished 9th, we didn’t expect Sheffield United to struggle as much as they have done this campaign! Wilder was given the sack back in March, The Blades suffered the joint-earliest relegation in Prem history and recorded their record number of league defeats in a single season!
THERE’S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR...
THE BIG SIX! s of the Premier bo The bosse League’s so-called “Big Six” tried to flex their muscles by joining a new European Super League, u any conversations with without players or fans! It o their own usly got shut down and, obviou ally, Tottenham, Arsenal ironica ool have struggled to Li and Liverp even ffinish in the top six in the Premier League this season!
C
! LASSY CITY
he ave had t h y it C . n 20 ga m e s m like Ma r e e e t s f a t t h u ig b It m ag es , he e b a g fo r e still in t r e w r e t s title in th ed ice have topp ed and L e Man. Unit ix dif ferent teams ou s e as o n ! Y es il e h h t w t , u e o c a h r e ug table thro , though – they hav t h e P re m y it ar t and it to C e rest since the st h o t e v a h th m! els above aiting the looked lev have a CL final aw nd of 2021 a
MISSING FANS! We know suppor ters ar e now slowly star ting to mak e their way back into stadium s, but MATCH has massively missed seeing the fans at gam es this season! We’ve got our fingers crossed that everything can star t getting back to no rmal soon and that more se ats are filled in grounds ac ross the country in 2021-2 2!
MATCH! 5
+ 0 0 3 , 3 No player has had more touches of the ballll this ball thi his season th han Andy A nd dy R Robertson obertson! b ! than Robertson!
140+ Wolves’ s’ Adama Traore has completed more successful dribbles than any other player!
145+ Big transfer target Sam Johnstone has made more saves than any other GK!
6 MATCH!
90+
Bruno Fernandes is 2020-21’s biggest chance creator!
210+
West Ham’s Tomas Soucek has won more aerial duels than any other star!
“SHIRT” OF YOU!
KING KANE!
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is sponsoring his hometown club Ipswich’s shirts next season! We know what will be playing in their changing room!
We put a poll on our website asking who the Premier League Player Of The Season should be! Tottenham striker Harry Kane won with 50% of the vote. Hero!
CHAMPIONS CITY!
Congrats to MAN. CITY for winning their third PREMIER LEAGUE title in four seasons! MATCH takes a look at some of their best stats, which prove why they’ve been a level above the rest in 2020-21…
WOMEN’S FA CUP FIFTH ROUND! There are some massive games in the Women’s FA Cup this weekend…
61 89 7 0 + 26 420 They’ve had an average of 61% ball possession in games – higher than any other Prem team!
Their pass success rate of 89% is also a high in the Premier League this season!
They’ve scored more goals than any other team and have averaged more shots-per-game too. Lethal!
After 35 Prem games, they’d conceded just 26 goals – no other team had conceded fewer than 30!
They’ve created over 420 big PL chances this season – more than any other side!
Birmingham
v
Southampton
Brighton
v
Huddersfield
Arsenal
v
Crystal Palace
Blackburn
v
Charlton
Man. City
v
West Ham
Chelsea
v
Everton
Man. United
v
Leicester
Tottenham
v
Sheff. United
JOAO FELIX!
The ATLETICO MADRID wonderkid chats to MATCH about his journey!
2020-21 SEASON! FELIX SAYS: “In football nothing is given to you – you have to work hard to see the rewards! The first season was a new league for me, but I knew if I kept working hard I’d see the rewards and show what I was capable of. The coach and my team-mates have been a big help for me!”
HIS HUGE PRICE TAG! FELIX SAYS: “When there’s that sort of fee, there’s always going to be much talk in the media – and I guess with that comes a pressure. I know there’s a lot of responsibility playing for a club like Atletico so I put responsibility on myself!”
CAREER HIGHLIGHT! FELIX SAYS: “There was a moment I’ll never forget! Benfica were playing Frankfurt in the Europa League and I scored a hat-trick. Two days before I heard some comments in the dressing room that I didn’t like. It upset me so the hat-trick was a weight being lifted from my shoulders!”
BIG AMBITIONS! FELIX SAYS: “I always want to improve as a player! This year though I would like to win trophies – both with Atletico and Portugal!”
Turn t p ag e 3 o 4 rea d F e to l chat ab ix’s ou t Po r t ug al!
MATCH! 7
AGUERO ARRIVES! Kun signed for Cit y from Atleti co Madrid in July 2011 – almost ten years ago – for what was then a club record fee of around £35 million ! He was handed the No.16 shirt in his first season at the club and made his debut for Man. Cit y aga inst Swansea as a sub in the PL in Au gust! He scored his first goal nine min utes into his debut, before grabbing an assist and another net-buster – making it one of the best Prem debuts ever!
LOOK AT MY BABY FACE!
THAT GOAL! Man. Cit y needed three points v QPR at home on the final day of the 2011-12 season to beat Ma n. United to their first-ever Premier League title! Things didn’t go to plan and the y found themselves 2-1 behind wit h just stoppage time lef t to play! But... ...Edin Dzeko gave them a late lifeline with his goal, before Ku n scored a stunner in the 94th min ute to seal the club the title. What a leg end!
welcome home!
2021-22 fixtures!
It’s an exciting week for fans of Premier League clubs, with some supporters allowed back inside the grounds again for the final round of fixtures!
Get June 16 in your calendar, MATCH fans! That’s when the Premier League are gonna reveal their fixtures for the 2021-22 season. We can’t wait!
WHERE NEXT, KUN? Loads of top clubs would be interested in snapping up Aguero on a free transfer! Tick where you think he’ll end up!
I’M GONNA END WITH A BANG THIS WEEK!
RECORD BREAKER! Aguero is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier Lea gue histor y and fourth on the all-tim e top goalscorers list. He actually has the best minutes-per-goal ratio in his tor y! He holds the joint-record for mo st goals in a match after scoring fiv e times against Newcastle in 2015 – in just 66 minutes of action. Incred ible! His 12 Prem hat-tricks is an alltime record while his seven Player Of The Month awards is also a rec ord high!
BARCELONA
✔
CHELSEA
✔
ATLETICO
✔
END OF AN ERA!
I’M GONNA MISS YA, MATE!
rton This week’s home match v Eve , had marks his final clash at the Eti special and Cit y are planning something rer! sco to celebrate their all-time top be They’ve already said that he’ll the get ting his own statue outside ates ground, alongside former team-m a! Vincent Kompany and David Silv a We also reckon that he might get so , testimonial match in the future one y pla him Cit y fans could get to see future! more game at The Etihad in the
INDEPENDI ENT E ✔
JUVENT US
✔
MATCH! 9
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K A N E
TOTTENHAM
LINKED WITH
⇉
⇇
Club: Juventus Cost: £35 million We’ve lost count of the times we’ve heard about Juve superstar Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford, but gossips reckon it could really happen this summer! We’ve heard The Red Devils are in talks with the megastar’s camp about a blockbuster career-ending spell at Old Trafford!
12 MATCH!
HUNT FOR HURRI-KANE! LINKED WITH Club: Tottenham Cost: £150 million After another trophyless season, 27-year-old England captain Harry Kane could decide to leave Tottenham after the Euros! We’ve heard Man. United and Man. City are leading the race for his signature, but he might also be tempted by a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at PSG!
RACE FOR RAPHAEL!
DANNY INGS
LINKED WITH Southampton to Tottenham
Club: Real Madrid Cost: £45 million Tons of Premier League clubs are tracking Real Madrid ace Raphael Varane this summer, including Man. United, Liverpool and Chelsea! The powerful centre-back is entering the final year of his contact and could be ready for a new challenge! Who’s gonna win the race to sign him?
£25 million
JOE WILLOCK
LINGARD LOWDOWN!
Arsenal to Newcastle £20 million
JULES KOUNDE
LINKED WITH
Club: West Ham (On loan from Man. United) Cost: £30 million J-Lingz has been a player reborn since joining West Ham on loan from Man. United in January! The 28-yearold’s dazzling performances for The Hammers mean that he’s a player in-demand this summer. The Red Devils are looking for £30 million for his signature, which could prove to be a brilliant summer bargain!
Sevilla to Liverpool £50 million
YOUSSEF EN-NESYRI
SANCHO: PART TWO! LINKED WITH
⇉
⇇
Sevilla to West Ham £35 million
EDUARDO CAMAVINGA
Club: Borussia Dortmund Cost: £88 million
Bundesliga gossips reckon Dortmund could knock as much as £20m off last year’s asking price, tempting The Red Devils to re-bid for the England ace! United still rank Sancho as their No.1 target, even after an average season compared to the winger’s previous season goal and assist tallies. Maybe his head was turned by their interest?
Rennes to Arsenal £55 million
MATCH! 13
HUGE HAALAND FEE! LINKED WITH Club: Borussia Dortmund Cost: £130 million If any Premier League club wants to sign Dortmund goal grabber Erling Haaland this summer, they’d better get a giant sack of cash ready coz his club want a whopping £130 million for him! There aren’t many strikers who’ve scored more goals than him this season, and he has the perfect playing style for the Premier League!
LEWANDOWSKI OFFER!
↳
LINKED WITH
Club: Bayern Munich Cost: £69 million
↲
We couldn’t believe it when we heard Bayern Munich may be willing to listen to offers for Lewandowski this summer – it rains goals when he’s on the pitch! The 32-year-old won FIFA’s Best Men’s Player Award for 2020, and is understood to be attracting interest from Chelsea and Man. City. We’d love to see him in the Prem!
14 MATCH!
POGBA’S PRICE!
TAMMY ABRAHAM
LINKED WITH
Club: Man. United Cost: £45 million
Chelsea to West Ham £40 million
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently said that he enjoys managing the France midfielder, causing some gossips to backtrack on their predictions that he’s gonna leave United this summer! One thing’s for sure, Pog’s Red Devils contract ends in 2022, so he either needs to sign a new deal or United need to think about selling up soon!
ANDREA BELOTTI
BARCELONA BARGAIN!
Torino to Tottenham £30 million
ANDRE SILVA
LINKED WITH
Club: Barcelona Cost: £50 million Ousmane Dembele has just one year left on his contract at Barcelona, so some of Europe’s big clubs are eyeing a cut-price deal this summer. Chelsea seem to have jumped to the front of the queue after the France forward recently chatted about how much he enjoyed playing under Thomas Tuchel when he was at Dortmund!
Frankfurt to Man. United £30 million
DAVID DE GEA
ROM’S PREM RETURN? LINKED WITH
Man. United to PSG £40 million
EMILIANO BUENDIA Club: Inter Milan Cost: £90 million Both Chelsea and Man. City are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, but some spies say they’ve got Inter Milan’s Lukaku in mind if they can’t land the Norwegian! Lukaku’s been in sensational form in Italy, and we’d be surprised that he’d want to return to the Premier League after winning the Serie A title...
Norwich to Arsenal £40 million
MATCH! 15
THE EARLY DAYS, W!est
lf-term BEN SAYS: “During a ha Week for kids to Ham had a Community e, I was invited play football. From ther from the age to train with West Ham le of games and of seven, played a coup ! I didn’t have a signed when I was nine t it was definitely position back then, bu n’s goal, so I’d towards the oppositio be a striker!” probably say I used to
ACADEMY MEMORIES! BEN SAYS: “For my 21st bir thday, my parents made a scrapbook for me with loads of photos from throughout the ages! It had tickets from when I wa sa ball boy, reports from my old coa ches, what I was good at and what I nee ded to improve, so that was touching! ”
SENIOR STEP UPinin! g
ar ted tra BEN SAYS: “When I st rk Noble would with the first team, Ma tegrate me into come over and try to in r too because I the team. It was easie I’d played with knew Declan Rice, who saw what he a bit in the academy. I idence he had was doing and the conf k it was doable!” and that made me thin
SCORING V BRIGHTON!
BEN SAYS: “I was spea king to Craig Dawson before the ga me and he said, ‘I’ve got a feeling you’r e going to score today! ’ It was so weird ! When you’re playing wing-back, yo u have license to get into more advanced positions and luckily I put it away. If we won the game it would ’ve made it a bi t more special, but hopefully that poin t does make a difference at the end of the season!”
LETHAL LINGARDing!in
ard com BEN SAYS: “Jesse Ling e really needed! has been something w taken us to the He’s the player that ’s e market of next level and that ’s th oking at in the players that we’ll be lo y of f the pitch, future. He’s a great gu He’s one of the as much as he is on it. so bubbly. What lads, one of us, and is is incredible!” he’s doing on the pitch
MAGNIFICENT MOYES!
BEN SAYS: “It ’s been re ally good working under him! From trainin g, he’s got us fit ter and working reall y hard of f the ball. Our training sessions ar e really intense. We go into every gam e really confident and made ourselves ha rd to play against , and I think that ’s down to how he talks to us and the way he be lieves in us!”
ACE ADVICE! s said just to BEN SAYS: “I’ve alway en though the enjoy your football! Ev hard – I was academy system can be e when I was on the verge of releas me going was 12 and 16 – what kept Everyone’s really loving football! matures at different and everyone enjoy the different times, so just -mates!” moment with your team
ENGLAND AMBITIONS!
West Ham United has announced its latest Official Partner, Grintafy. We sat down with Ben Johnson about West Ham’s season and his football journey.
BEN SAYS: “If you play well for your club, it’s not impossible to pl ay for England, as you’ve seen with Dec. I just want to enjoy my football, because whe n I’m enjoying myself I play well and feel conf ident. To play at a World Cup for Englan d is my dream!”
MATCH! 17
WIN PRIZES! BAG TONS OF CoOL STUFF EVERY WEEK!
HYPERX CHARGEPLAY EPLA PLA MOBILE GRIPS! IP Wicked gaming brand HyperX are giving one of you the chance to win a ChargePlay Clutch for mobile! Visit hyperxgaming.com now for more info and for all of the brand’s epic accessories
HOW TO ENTER!
CLOSING DATE: Jun. 18
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www.matchfootball.co.uk Then click ‘WIN’ in the navigation bar on the MATCH website. Full Terms & Conditions are available online.
T he tex tured a grips provide d n a better hold t fi expand to e various phon sizes!
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D I A S
MAN. CITY
ALL STARS V ROCK STARS! TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD chats about his challenge on ALL STARS v ROCK STARS, the awesome new show from BT TECH TIPS! k s v Roc All Star new BT Stars, a a squad of e es m es show, s n spor ting na m, roo ow well-kn k to the class with go bac ead-to-head of going hnts in a series uts. stude tion shoot-o e th ic a multipl highlights of at Watch on demand show /tech-tips bt.com
Did you enjoy maths at school? my TRENT SAYS: “Maths was one of lly rea best subjects and I was always my competitive with the other kids in or class. The answer is either right wrong, which I like!”
How did you find the Times Tables Rock Stars challenge? ool, TRENT SAYS: “When I was at sch tables it was all about singing your times ng it that along with the teacher and learni game way – I wish we could’ve played a learn instead! It’s clearly a good way to as the kids were brilliant!”
How would you rate your performance against the kids at Arnot St Mary Primary School? TRENT SAYS: “When I saw the sco re, I was happy with it and I was confid ent that I’d won – but Denisa’s score was inc redible, a really impressive per formance from her!”
Andy Robertson won but got a lower score – would you beat him in a head-to-head? TRENT SAYS: “Is that even a que stion?! He wouldn’t stand a chance. I’m goi ng to start firing sums at him around the training ground to keep him on his toes. Bri ng it on Robbo, anytime, anywhere!”
20 MATCH!
Any tips for kids to improve their TT Rock Stars scores? TRENT SAYS: “It’s the same as Keep football – practice makes per fect! of hammering away and you’ll be top ” all! at the leaderboard in no time
Which Liverpool team-mate would be the best at Times Tables Rock Stars? ll I’m TRENT SAYS: “Other than me? We I think definitely bet ter than Robbo, but for my James Milner might give me a run se money. Underneath that no-nonsen out tch exterior he’s definitely one to wa inst the for! I wouldn’t fancy going up aga at tactical gaf fer Jurgen Klopp. He’s got a gre es tables!” brain, so I’m sure he knows his tim
ALL STARS V ROCK STARS! Check out some of the huge stars who have taken part in the epic episodes…
EPISODE ONE Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robbie Savage and Clare Balding took on students from Arnot Saint Mary, St Silas and Broad Square Primary Schools.
EPISODE TWO Andy Robertson and Peter Crouch were joined by BT Sport presenter Reshmin Chowdhury, as they took on students from St Hilda’s (Manchester), Fircroft (London) and King’s Road (Manchester) Primary Schools.
t he D u r ing 6 ign, 5.7 ss a p m a c a c ro p e o p l e a r nt n o i l l i m e d i d o r l s e of t he UK au n g b e c r ies i h t e m so se ng t h e watchi tutorials! of te ch
EPISODE THREE An All Star team including BT Sport pundits Rachel Brown-Finnis and Ugo Monye, and the returning Robbie Savage, took on Rock Star students from Arnot St. Mary, St. Hilda’s and Kings Road Primary Schools.
MATCH! 21
FIFA 21 ZONE MATCH chats to another FIFA pro and takes a look at the 2020-21 Prem TOTS!
DIOGO MENDES! The 2020-21 ePremier League finalist chats to MATCH! TOP TIP!
EPREMIER LEAGUE!
DIOGO SAYS:: “If If you’re playing Weekend League, my main tip is whenn you lose a game, don’t go straight intoo another one! When you go straight intto another, you’ll still be mad that you’ve lost and you’ll rush everything!”
DIOGO SAYS: “We have other tournaments but the ePremier League is a different kind of tournament! It feels different because everyone is from the UK, which means everyone is friends. I’ve played friends in every single game!”
PLAYING JOTA! ! N O I T A M R O F E T I R FAVOU DIOGO SAYS: “The only Premier League player I’d played at the time was David Meyler! He was really good – he gets Top 100 on Weekend League. Oh, I’ve also played Diogo Jota, because we both represented Portugal last year!”
DIOGO SAYS: “My favourite formation will always be 4-4-2. I’ve just started using 5-3-2 myself because 4-4-2 hasn’t been working for me lately. It’s because the game is constantly evolving, and you have to adapt to it every year!”
FIFA 21 TEAM OF THE SEASON It’s that time of the year… EA SPORTS have revealed their awesome 2020-21 Premier the rest...
League Team Of The Season! Check out this absolutely mind-blowing line-up…
Ederson has reclaimed his spot after missing out to Alisson in 2019-20!
He’s been much-improved in 2020-21, and could have been the right-back or left-back!
Fofana’s been a revelation for Leicester since joining from Saint-Etienne in 2020!
There was no way Dias was missing out - he’s cruised his debut Prem season!
Man. United fans will be buzzing to see Shaw take the LB spot off Robertson!
Get used to seeing Bruno in this XI - he’s won loads of special cards at United!
KDB has retained his place in this team after another year of bossing it for Man. City!
Gundogan has struggled with injuries in his career, but his early 2021 form was epic!
Even when Liverpool haven’t been at their best, Mo Salah has still bagged tons of goals!
With double digits for goals and assists, of course Harry Kane was going to make this side!
It’s been another epic season for Leicester, as well as Vards who’s got tons of goals and assists!
MATCH! 23
LIVERPOOL
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20 BIGGEST EURO STADIUMS 2020-21
AROUND THE
GROUNDS
THIS WEEK:TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM OU DID Y KNOW? t-ever
T OP 2 0
T OP 2 0
STADIUM FACTS
RO
The South Stand is the largest single-tier stand in the nation
EU
RA
1 6 th
NK
NK
RO
RA
EU
rs um’s fi was a i d a t s The me tive ga l Palace i t e p m a co v C r ys t in 2-0 win with Heung-M , tin 2019 ring the firs o S o n s c o a l t h e re ! ever g
It has separate NFL changing rooms inside the stadium
TEAM: Tottenham COUNTRY: England CITY: London BUILT: 2019 CAPACITY: 62,850 RECORD ATTENDANCE: 61,104 v Chelsea, 2019 The South Stand holds a huge 17,500 supporters
It features a retractable pitch for NFL matches
You can walk around the cockerel at the very top
MATCH! 25
ASTON VILLA v CHELSEA They couldn’t be separated when they met in the league in December – Anwar El Ghazi secured a point for The Villans after Olivier Giroud had opened the scoring for The Blues. This is Thomas Tuchel’s side’s chance to end the campaign on a real high ahead of their CL final!
Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Mings
Targett
Nakamba
Traore
McGinn
D. Luiz
Grealish
Watkins
Werner
Pulisic
Mount
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Aston Villa have lost ten of their last 12 Premier League games v Chelsea, with their one win coming in 2014!
;
The Villans haven’t won their final league match in any of the last nine seasons – excluding the play-offs!
26 MATCH!
Chilwell
Jorginho
Rudiger
Kante
Christensen
Mendy
Azpilicueta
T. Silva
LEICESTER v TOTTENHAM
Schmeichel
It’s fair to say these teams have had very different seasons! Tottenham have disappointed big time after starting the season on fire, while The Foxes are set for their best league finish since winning the title! It’s no wonder that Brendan Rodgers is happy where he is!
Fofana
Castagne
Evans
Ndidi
Soyuncu
Tielemans
Thomas
Maddison
Iheanacho
Son
Vardy
Kane
Bale
Lo Celso
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Harry Kane has scored 14 goals in just 11 Premier League appearances v Leicester!
;
Tottenham have lost two of their past three Premier League games against Leicester – as many defeats as in their previous 12 against The Foxes!
Reguilon
Hojbjerg
Dier
Alderweireld
Aurier
Lloris
ARSENAL V BRIGHTON
When these two last met back in December, it took a solo effort from Alexandre Lacazette to separate them! It meant that The Gunners had won back-toback league games for the first time in months, but they’ve not really managed to kick-on since that win!
Winks
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Brighton did the double over The Gunners in 2019-20!
;
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 15 final day Prem games, winning the last nine in a row. The’re gonna bring their A-game!
FULHAM V NEWCASTLE
A few weeks ago, this looked like being a massive clash at the bottom of the table! Both sides have been battling relegation, trying to reach the magic 40-point mark. Some classy displays from Allan Saint-Maximin have helped out Newcastle, but Fulham are doomed...
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Newcastle won 4-0 on their last visit to Craven Cottage in May 2019 – that was a final day clash!
;
Fulham haven’t beaten The Magpies in the Premier League since a 1-0 win in March 2014!
MATCH! 27
MAN. CITY v EVERTON
Ederson
This could end up being a very special day for Man. City! They’ll be handed the Premier League trophy for the third time in four years, and it looks like there’ll be some fans inside the Etihad to celebrate! As for Everton, they’ll be looking to spoil the party by picking up three points to make the Europa League!
Walker
Sterling
Stones
Dias
Rodri
Gundogan
De Bruyne
Cancelo
Silva
Aguero
Calvert-Lewin
Richarlison
Rodriguez
FIXTURE FACTS! Gomes
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Everton have lost their past seven meetings with Man. City in all competitions!
Digne
;
Gabriel Jesus has scored more Premier League goals v Everton than he has against any other Prem side!
28 MATCH!
Holgate
Sigurdsson
Godfrey
Coleman
Pickford
LEEDS V WEST BROM
This is another dead rubber match in terms of what it means for both sides, although Leeds will be eyeing up a top-half finish! The Whites are set for their highest-placed position since they came fifth in the 2001-02 Premier League. Take a bow, Marcelo Bielsa!
Allan
FIXTURE FACTS!
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Leeds beat West Brom 5-0 in December – their joint-biggest margin of victory in a Prem game!
;
Only Sheffield United have picked up fewer away points than West Brom in the Prem this season!
LIVERPOOL V CRYSTAL PALACE
It doesn’t look like it’s gonna be a happy end to the 2020-21 Prem season for Liverpool who may have to settle for a place in the Europa League, but they’ll be looking forward to their game against Palace. They hammered The Eagles 7-0 in the reverse fixture!
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Since 2013, Palace haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their 15 games against Liverpool!
;
Roy Hodgson has lost seven PL games v The Reds since leaving the club just over ten years ago!
WOLVES V MAN. UNITED
SHEFFIELD UNITED V BURNLEY
There’s not too much riding on this result – except for pride! The Blades don’t know when they’ll next be in the Premier League, so they’ll want to end the season with a bang, while Burnley are hoping in-form striker Chris Wood can fire them to a rare away win!
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
The Blades have already lost twice v The Clarets this season, with the EFL Cup and PL defeats both coming at Turf Moor! CB Ben Mee scored a rare PL goal against ; The Blades in December!
Just like in 2019-20, The Red Devils look set to improve on their league position from the previous season! We thought they were gonna challenge for the title around Christmas time, but Man. City have proven too good for them since the turn of the year!
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Marcus Rashford’s winner v Wolves in December was Man. United’s latest winning goal in a home Prem match since 2009! That was Wolves’ first PL loss v United since ; they were promoted in 2018!
WEST HAM v SOUTHAMPTON Nobody expected West Ham to be challenging for Champions League footy at the start of this season, but they’ve been on fire in 2020-21! David Moyes deserves a lot of credit for the job he’s done, while Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is apparently under pressure to keep his job!
Fabianski
Coufal
Diop
Dawson
Rice
Fornals
Cresswell
Soucek
Lingard
Bowen
Antonio
Adams
FIXTURE FACTS!
;
Theo Walcott has scored more Prem goals against West Ham than any other club!
;
Jesse Lingard scored in Man. United’s 3-2 win against Southampton in the 2017 Carabao Cup final!
Ings
Djenepo
W.-Prowse
Salisu
Vestergaard
Armstrong
Bednarek
Walcott
W.-Peters
Forster
MATCH! 29
PREDICT THE RESULT! We have our say on 15 huge games this week! Can you beat MATCH? ARSENAL v BRIGHTON
ASTON VILLA v CHELSEA
The Seagulls would love to repeat history by winning at the Emirates!
We’ve got a feeling this match is gonna be jam-packed with drama!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
2-1
FULHAM v NEWCASTLE
2-2
LEEDS v WEST BROM
We reckon Newcastle will hit on the counter to get all the points!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
0-1
The Baggies’ away form is awful, so we fancy The Whites to win!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
3-0
LEICESTER v TOTTENHAM
LIVERPOOL v C. PALACE
Can The Foxes do the double over Tottenham in the PL this season?
We reckon The Eagles will put up a good fight, but Liverpool will win!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
1-1
MAN. CITY v EVERTON
2-1
SHEFF. UNITED v BURNLEY
MATCH is backing the champs to end the season in style. Big win!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
3-0
The Blades won’t want to go out with a whimper at Bramall Lane!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
2-1
WEST HAM v SOUTHAMPTON
WOLVES v MAN. UNITED
They couldn’t be separated last time, so we predict a similar score!
We’ve got a feeling these sides will have to make do with a draw!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
1-1
1-1
BREST v PSG
B. MUNICH v AUGSBURG
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar can light this up with their top tekkers!
MATCH is backing the Bundesliga champs to win this comfortably!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
0-3
R. VALLADOLID v ATL. MADRID Atletico have been calm under pressure for most of this season!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
0-2
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
3-0
REAL MADRID v VILLARREAL Villarreal will just want to avoid any injuries ahead of the EL final!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
3-1
EIBAR v BARCELONA
FINAL SCORES!
Leo Messi is gonna score another epic free-kick to win the points!
Give yourself 1 point for a correct result and 3 for the exact score!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
30 MATCH!
MATCH SAYS YOU SAY
0-1
MATCH SCORE YOUR SCORE
WEEKLY TOP 20!
TRANSFER IN…
TRANSFER ER OUT OUT…
Check out our league table after Gameweek 35’s weekend action!
Here are our biggest signing tips ahead of this weekend’s action!
You should consider dropping these heroes for this weekend’s games!
Team Name
Points
1
K Warriors
2285
2
Salt, Pepe, Vinagre
2273
3
Get it in the mixer
2269
4
Walker’s Argyle
2249
5
The Vardy Boyz
2215
6
Returning Revellers
2207
7
Sterling Silva
2206
8
Noremac Yrag
2205
9
GiniMiniManeMo
2195
10
Mince’s Army
2194
11=
Clayton’s Heights
2190
11=
Tiniesta’s Totspurs
2190
13
Alberoni FC
2183
14
It takes three!
2181
15
IBBen F.C.
2179
16
HanoiToon
2173
17
Hotspur Fusion
2169
18=
Magic Mikes Monsters
2168
18=
Double Chance
2168
20
Superhoops
2167
HOW TO ENTER!
MOHAMED SALAH
TIMOTHY CASTAGNE
MF ★ LIVERPOOL
DF ★ LEICESTER
£12.7 MILLION
£5.8 MILLION
This is a massive game for The Reds so, after they put seven past Palace last time they met, consider captaining Salah this week!
Remember when Spurs met Leicester in 2017-18’s final day? It ended 5-4! Expect more drama and no clean sheets!
PATRICK BAMFORD
EDOUARD MENDY
FW ★ LEEDS
GK ★ CHELSEA
At home against an already-relegated West Brom spells out G-O-A-L-S for Bamford. Don’t miss out on a potential haul from him!
Villa have busted net in their three Prem matches v Chelsea since getting promoted! We fancy them to nab a goal at home!
£6.3 MILLION
£5.2 MILLION
VLADIMIR COUFAL
LEWIS DUNK
DF ★ WEST HAM
DF ★ BRIGHTON
West Ham’s home form + their need for points means you should target their assets – like Coufal! He’s had a quality season at right-back!
Brighton have history against Arsenal but, with nothing left to play for, get any Seagulls defenders out of your XI this week!
£4.7 MILLION
£4.9 MILLION
Go to fantasy.premierleague.com & use the code 4snved to enter MATCH’s FPL League!
Prices correct at time of printing and are likely to fluctuate.
Pos.
EURO FOCUS We’ve got the lowdown on the winners and losers from Europe’s biggest leagues!
SPAIN The Spanish title race has probably been the most exciting in Europe’s top five leagues! After 25 games, Atletico Madrid were eight points clear of Barcelona and Real Madrid and looking likely to clinch their first title since 2014, but their form dropped big time in February, and Real Madrid and Barcelona managed to claw themselves back. Stay tuned this weekend... Leo Messi scored in just two of his first eight league games of this season, but went on a mind-boggling run between December and March – he netted 18 goals in 14 matches to take him to the top of La Liga’s scoring charts, above Real Madrid goal grabber Karim Benzema and Leo’s former team-mate Luis Suarez!
32 MATCH!
ITALY For the first time in a decade, a club other than Juventus has got their hands on the Serie A title! Inter Milan have won their first league title since 2009-10, moving them above eternal enemies AC in the all-time trophy charts, with Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku firing 35+ goals between them! It’s been a poor season for Juve, who’ve had to fight just to secure a CL spot, but Cristiano Ronaldo hit 27 league goals in his first 30 matches and is on course to win the Serie A Golden Boot for the first time!
HOLLAND PSV and Ajax were neck-and-neck in the title race at the start of 2021, but then Ajax won 12 of their next 13 matches and left PSV eating their dust! There’s no wonder Tottenham were sniffing around their highlyrated manager Erik ten Hag – and probably a few of their star players!
FRANCE The French title race hasn’t been far off La Liga in the title excitement charts! PSG were massive faves at the start of the season, but a really poor run of form saw them sack Thomas Tuchel and hire Mauricio Pochettino instead. They’ve had a tough battle with Monaco and shock title rivals Lille for the top spot! No Ligue 1 player has been directly involved in more goals this season than Kylian Mbappe! The PSG and France superstar has already cleared a space in his cabinet for a third Golden Boot in a row. Awesome!
PORTUGAL Sporting are on course to break Porto and Benfica’s 18-season stronghold on the Portuguese Primeira Liga! They didn’t lose any of their first 31 games and only let in 15 goals during that period! Bruno Fernandes will be one man who’ll be buzzing for his old club!
GERMANY Bayern Munich have won their ninth Bundesliga title in a row! That didn’t stop Hansi Flick from handing in his resignation letter after they were knocked out of the Champo League. We’re shouting out to secondplaced RB Leipzig, as well – they’ve outperformed Dortmund, despite selling top scorer Timo Werner! Has anyone actually checked if Robert Lewandowski is human recently? He bagged 39 goals in his first 27 league games, scoring at least once in 16 of his 17 matches between December and the end of April!
TURKEY Istanbul Basaksehir, the 2019-20 champions, were left red-faced after having to fight relegation all season! The top of the league reverted back to the norm though, with Turkey’s traditional ‘Big Three’ – Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Galatasaray – in a threeway battle for the title all season!
MATCH! 33
MATCH catches up with the wicked PORTUGAL wonderkid ahead of this summer’s tournament!
EUROS EXCITEMENT! FELIX SAYS: “For me, just playing for Portugal is a major honour, but to represent my country at a major tournament is what I’ve dreamed of! I have experience at youth level but this will be my first with the senior team. I was just a teenager when I watched the victory against France and now I want to help make history!”
THE POSTPONEMENT! FELIX SAYS: “It was disappointing – but there was nothing anybody could do about it. I look at it from a positive point of view and think that I’m a better player than I was a year ago, so I’ll be arriving at Euro 2020 with more experience!”
34 MATCH!
GROUP OF DEATH! FELIX SAYS: “It’s a very tough group – there will be three nations in that group who have big aspirations of winning the competition. There are groups that are more favourable, and we know we’ll need to play at a high level to progress, but playing against France and Germany in the Euros is something I dreamed of!”
HOT OR
NOT! Get a load of the stars ripping it up for their clubs right now, and those who have gone off the boil!
LEWANDOWSKI
CRISTIANO RONALDO! FELIX SAYS: “Ronaldo is an example for everybody! Not just for everything he’s achieved, but for everything he wants to achieve. He’s won everything but still he demands more of himself. He’s been a big influence on me and on the team!”
ACE AMBITIONS! FELIX SAYS: “We’re entering the tournament as champions, so that’s what we want to be. Some players in the squad were there in the final in 2016 and they will not want to give up their crown. We want to retain our title. That will be a success!”
RL9 scored a treble to take his goal tally to 39 – one short of the Bundesliga record for goals in a single season!
BAMFORD The Leeds striker scored against Tottenham in front of England manager Gareth Southgate to help his case!
HAZARD
STRONG SQUAD! FELIX SAYS: “We have some very exciting players. Cristiano still has such a big role for us but hopefully other players, including myself, can help take some of the attacking responsibility and help contribute to important goals!”
After upsetting Real fans v Man. City, Hazard put on an 11-minute cameo to help his side salvage a draw v Sevilla!
WATKINS On the same weekend that Bamford scored, Watkins was sent off for Villa v Man. United for simulation!
RONALDO
2016 COMPARISONS! FELIX SAYS: “I think they are two different teams. We still have players left from 2016, but have had some excellent young players come through since then. I don’t want to compare because the team at Euro 2016 made history, but we are also ready!”
The megastar was criticised for going missing in Juventus’ recent 3-0 home loss to fellow CL chasers AC Milan!
KIMPEMBE The 25-year-old France defender was handed a straight red card for a rash lunge on Rennes’ Jeremy Doku!
MATCH! 35
MATCH gear! The stuff we’re mad about, on and off the pitch!
Sadio Mane NB Boots Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been New Balance’s poster boy over the last few seasons – and they’ve managed to sign him on a longterm deal! To celebrate the speedster staying with the NB family, the brand have gifted him a special pair of custom Furon 6+ cleats, in a bright Lime Glow and Citrus colourway. He wore them against Southampton earlier this month! Price: £180 newbalance.co.uk
smigglE adidas Copa Mundial The adidas Copa Mundial was first released way back in 1979! They only ever used to be a classic black and white colourway, but the mega brand started to mix things up in 2014. This latest purple paint job is inspired by one of those new looks in 2014, but instead of leather they’ve been wrapped in adidas’ Primeknit upper. Man. City’s Ilkay Gundogan was one of the first stars to be spotted in them!
GEAR! Check out Smiggle’s new Striker collection! smiggle.co.uk
Price: £220 adidas.co.uk
Backpack Price: £38
Double Decker Lunch Box Price: £20
Drinks Bottle Price: £9
Pencil Case Price: £13.50
MATCH! 37
✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ THE BEST FOOTBALL MAGAZINE!
MAN. UNITED
Gareth Barry
Ashley Young
James Milner
Emile Heskey
Which side have all these stars, past and present, played for? John Carew
Richard Dunne
PREM
BRAIN-BUSTE
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How much d remember a o you bo 2020-21 sea ut the son?
3
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5. N m t s pers e i ro Ne o a -t nt
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bec ln m!
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Mark where you think the ball is in this PL action pic! A B C D E F G H I J 1
2
3
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5
6
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8
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TURN OVER FOR THE ANSWERS!
My Score
/53
One point per correct answer!
Premier League Quiz 1 Flashback: Kevin De Bruyne. FIFA 21 Challenge: James Rodriguez. Club Sharers: Aston Villa. Transfer Tracker: 2013-15 – Leicester; 2015-17 – Leeds. Mega Mash-Up: Mason Greenwood.
Prem Brain-Buster: 1. Alexandre Lacazette; 2. Kieran Gibbs; 3. December; 4. Tottenham 3-2 Arsenal; 5. Chris Wood; 6. True; 7. Patrick Bamford; 8. Liverpool; 9. Sheffield United; 10. West Brom.
Premier League Quiz 2 Who Am I?: Wesley Fofana. Ollie Watkins Quiz: 1. 25; 2. False – he started his youth career at Exeter; 3. Burton; 4. San Marino; 5. Tammy Abraham.
Close-Up: 1. Callum Wilson; 2. Phil Foden; 3. Marcus Rashford; 4. Patrick Bamford. Soccer Scrabble: Harry Maguire. Spot The Ball: A14. Name The Country: Alderweireld – Belgium; Fernandes – Portugal; Mahrez – Algeria; Kante – France. MATCH Winner: Timo Werner. Game Changer: Allan Saint-Maximin. Wordfit: See right.
✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ CUT OUT AND STICK ON YOUR WALL! ✂ THE BEST FOOTBALL MAGAZINE!
LEICESTER
from losing No team has won more points e this season positions in the Premier Leagu kings! than Man. United. The comeback
10
28+
Kelechi Iheanacho is the first player in PL history to net ten league goals despite not scoring until February – not including January signings. Wow!
20+
Mohamed Salah has become the first Liverpool player to score at lea st 20 goals in three different Prem campa igns!
21+
Backk in i 2012, 12 Luka Modric was voted as La Liga’s worst signing of the season. The joke’s on them!
Christian Pulisic is the first and only American to score in a CL semi-final!
Only Nikita Parris has been directly involved in more Man. City goals in a single WSL season than Chloe Kelly in 2020-21!
OUT NOW ON iPAD & ANDROID! D! EVERY WEEK YOU’LL GET…
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